Loyalty or Love
by Israel Pena
Summary: Team Magma is her life. Maxie is her leader. Throughout her employ, Courtney has always been a loyal administrator of the Hoenn organization. Even when Team Magma reformed to an organization that works to benefit the world, Courtney remains devoted to Maxie and his goals. One day, she begins to wonder. Is she doing this because of sheer loyalty only or because of something more?


Loyalty or Love

 **Author's Note: This is going to be my first fic about Pokémon. While this is a one-shot, I'll be willing to do more if all of you love it.**

 **I do not own Pokémon. Nintendo does.**

 **Let's start the story.**

* * *

A pair of eyes with lavender irises has awoken, belonging to a young female with short lavender hair. Rays of sunlight pours through her window, shining on her face. Despite the brightness of the light striking her face, she isn't affected by it. She reaches out an arm and grabs her PokeNav Plus, taking a look at the time.

"Morning," she notes, her voice monotone as usual. She gets out of her bed, revealing to be wearing a black t-shirt and red soft shorts. Following her daily morning schedule, she takes a fifteen minute shower which gives her enough time to cleanse every part of her body. After that, she takes five minutes to dry her hair and two minutes to brush her teeth.

After grooming herself, she makes her way back to her bedroom. Heading to her closet, she opens it to find it occupied with her uniforms. She takes a moment to analyze her uniforms before taking out a set, stroking and feeling the fabric.

The uniform consists of a long sleeved one-pieced dark red sweater that reaches down to her upper thighs. Paired with it is a sleeveless red and black hooded jacket with a pair of yellow horns attached to the hoodie. Along with the clothing are a pair of red short-heeled boots with dark red socks connected, red and yellow wristbands, and black and red gloves.

Uniforms similar to this one are usually worn by members of the organization known as Team Magma. This specific uniform is owned by the administrator Courtney, the young woman with short lavender hair. Wasting no time, Courtney changes from her sleeping wear to her uniform. One last thing that she needed to do was grabbing her Pokeball.

Now ready for work, Courtney leaves her apartment room with hidden eagerness to arrive at Team Magma's hideout in Lilycove City. Team Magma and their rival Team Aqua were once villainous organizations with the intentions of completing their goals of changing the world. Awakening powerful legendary Pokemon, their actions nearly destroyed the Hoenn region as well as the rest of the world.

Luckily, two young trainers were able to stop them. Realizing their mistakes, leaders Maxie of Team Magma and Archie of Team Aqua had decided to reform their organizations and work for the benefits of the Pokemon world. While it did take a while for the region to accept the organizations' new redemption at first, the two young trainers gave their full support.

Finally arriving at Team Magma's hideout, Courtney sees the first thing that always makes her feel an unfamiliar emotion: Maxie. The Team Magma is leader is a tall yet slender individual with shoulder-length red hair and clear glasses. Just like other members of the organization, he's wearing the one-pieced dark red bodysuit sweater. Over it, the man is also wearing a black vest, a yellow belt, red shorts and boots, and a red and black coat.

Maxie was once a cold-hearted and overconfident man, very determine to make his goals come to fruit. It was only after nearly causing the end of the world that he began to see the errors of his ways. While the Team Magma leader is still a calculative intellectual, he now has a more encouraging and friendlier demeanor.

Maxie is currently lecturing to a group of grunts, obviously new recruits to the organization. Ever since the reformation, he has been working endlessly to make Team Magma a force for good. Courtney couldn't help but gaze upon her leader. Since the start of the organization, she always followed him without hesitation and will continue to stick proudly by his side.

"Staring at our leader, Courtney?" a male voice asks from behind. The female administrator turns around to face Tabitha, her fellow administrator in Team Magma who currently has a teasing smirk on his face. He's an overweight individual who's wearing a uniform similar to Maxie's, only difference being he has yellow gauntlets and a hooded jacket instead of a coat.

"I have no information to what you're referring to," Courtney replies.

"Then what were you just doing right now?" Tabitha asks.

"I was merely inspecting the area and just so happened to see Leader Maxie performing his acts of leadership," the female administrator answers.

"You just arrived and all he's doing is talking to some rookies," the overweight male pointed out.

"Very well, but it should also be noted that whatever my actions may be are none of your concern," Courtney told him, keeping herself stoic while Tabitha still has his smirk on.

"Ah Courtney, Tabitha, pleased that you two have already arrived," Maxie calls out to them. "I have your assignments ready."

"Yes sir, Leader Maxie!" Tabitha exclaims "What shall you need me to contribute on?"

"I need you to supervise the newly recruited grunts, providing reports of their progress and work," the Team Magma leader orders.

"You can count on me. I'll whip them to shape should they start slacking off!" the overweight administrator responds, saluting to his leader and leaves with the new recruits.

"Leader Maxie, what shall you need my contribution on?" Courtney asks, inwardly interested on how she can assist her leader.

"Courtney, I need you to check up on the wellbeing of the Pokemon in the stables and provide a report," Maxie instructed her. One of the first things Team Magma and Team Aqua started was taking in injured Pokemon and care for them until they were fully healed. Of course, both teams would focused on land-based and ocean-based Pokemon respectively due to specializing in them.

"Assignment accepted. I won't fail you, Leader Maxie," Courtney states before leaving to start her work. The Team Magma leader gives out a small smile at his administrator's enthusiasm.

"I doubt you will," Maxie mutters, making his way back to his office.

* * *

Later at the stables, Courtney is looking over the injured Pokemon Team Magma is hospitalizing. She released her Camerupt from its Pokeball so it can interact with the other Pokemon. The female administrator is writing down information received from the grunts who are tending the injured Pokemon.

From the corner of her eye, Courtney spots something she hasn't seen since the last time she was in the stables. She walks closer to it before reaching her discovery. It's a Pokemon egg. The design of the egg seems pretty simple. The entire egg is colored red with the top half being more brownish. The bottom half looks like waves, but Courtney knew better.

"Excuse me. What can you tell me about this egg?" the female administrator asks a nearby grunt. The Magma grunt is a girl with dark blonde hair tied in a ponytail.

"Oh, Miss Courtney," the female grunt addresses. "The egg was found a few days ago by a group of grunts. They reported that there was no Pokemon in the surrounding area."

"There was no Ninetails nearby?" Courtney asks, causing the grunt to look at her in confusion.

"Ninetails, ma'am?" the Magma grunt responds. The female administrator looked at her as if she was joking or not.

"Yes, Ninetails. The design of the egg is very simple. The red colors and pattern shapes makes it obvious that a Vulpix is going to hatch from this egg," Courtney explains. "Honestly, there are a lot of eggs that can easily be identified of which Pokemon will hatch from."

"My mistake, Miss Courtney! I won't make such a small mistake again!" the female grunt apologizes. The female administrator pays no mind to the apology and continues to stare of the egg, showing interest while still keeping a stoic expression on her face. "You know, I am glad that we get to help Pokemon, especially taking care of eggs like this one."

"Indeed…" Courtney mutters as she continues to stare at the egg. Its red vibrant colors suddenly reminds the female administrator of Maxie. Her mind starts to drift off and, she begins to imagine taking care of egg herself with the Team Magma leader by her side. Courtney's daydream quickly ends when the grunt repeatedly starts calling her name.

"Miss Courtney!" the Magma grunt once again calls out, finally snapping the administrator from her daydream. "Are you okay? You were staring off into space, and you were blushing as well for some reason." Courtney quickly touches her face with a hand, feeling heat beneath her cheeks.

"It's nothing to worry about. My thoughts were merely occupied with other important matters," Courtney answers. "I must go. Keep up the good work" Recalling her Camerupt back into its Pokeball, the female administrator leaves the stables. She silently chastises herself for her earlier thoughts.

* * *

Late in the afternoon, Courtney is now at her desk working on her report quietly. She prefers the silence she is in. That way, she can concentrate on finishing her work without any disturbances or distractions. Her desk is in a small office, perfect to do work without anyone bothering her. Unless it's Maxie, then she'll drop everything.

Speaking of disturbances, a knock is heard on her door. Courtney turns from her computer screen to see Tabitha standing outside. She gives him a blank look before continuing on her work. While the Courtney does acknowledge him as a fellow administrator, she does also find him as an annoyance. Her eyes narrows as she hears Tabitha enter her office without question.

"Sorry for my intrusion Courtney. A couple of grunts and I would like to invite you to join us for an afternoon lunch," the male administrator told her.

"I decline. I have much work to do," Courtney replies as she continues to stare at her computer screen.

"Courtney, you need a break," Tabitha told her. "As Chief Administrator, I order you to take one."

"I refuse to acknowledge you at that rank. Plus, it's illogical to call yourself "Chief Administrator" considering you and I are the only administrators of Team Magma," the female administrator points out.

"Well I think it's cool, so I'm still calling myself that," the male administrator retorts, causing his co-worker to roll her eyes. "In all seriousness Courtney, you need a break. You've been working all day. I doubt Leader Maxie will hold it against you if you stop working for a little while."

"Don't be foolish. Leader Maxie requires our complete loyal support. Therefore, I can't waste any time "slacking off" as you're doing right now," Courtney counters.

"Hey, I'm loyal to Leader Maxie just as you are!" Tabitha responds. "Still, overexerting yourself is an odd way of displaying your loyalty. Unless, it's more than that."

"Whatever do you mean, Tabitha?" the female administrator asks.

"For starters, everyone in Team Magma knows you have the biggest admiration for Leader Maxie," the male administrator notes.

"Shouldn't we all? He has a lot of admirable qualities, from his intelligence to his leadership. Leader Maxie has done a lot for us, in which we need to be grateful for. He's a remarkable man who deserves our support and respect," Courtney told him, each word being filled with more emotion.

"So that's it, huh? You're not overexerting yourself because of loyalty or admiration. You're overexerting yourself because you're in love with Leader Maxie!" Tabitha teases. The female administrator shot him a glare while her face becomes red from blushing.

"T-That's preposterous! W-What gives you the right to brand me with such an accusation?!" Courtney asks him.

"When you came back crying to Leader Maxie after your failed attempt to complete Project AZOTH, you begged for forgiveness in which he gave you after you accepted the condition that you forgive him first. It was a touching moment that I successfully handled myself. And if I recall, you were the first person he asked to support him in Team Magma's reformation," Tabitha explains. "That's all the evidence I need as well as the fact that you always gaze at him ever since."

"Even with everything you said, I doubt Leader Maxie would be interested in such a trivial matter," Courtney mutters. Tabitha's teasing smirk suddenly changes into a solemn expression.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Remember when you attacked the Mossdeep Space center? He blamed himself when you tried to complete Project AZOTH by yourself, feeling guilty for driving you into that situation and kept saying that it was his fault," the male administrator stated.

"Just… what are you trying to say?" the female administrator asks.

"What I'm saying is that out of everyone in Team Magma, Leader Maxie cares about you the most. While you're a weird girl and sometimes creep the shit out of me, you're also a respected individual whose intelligence is on par with our leader. There's no way Leader Maxie would decline engaging "trivial matters" with you," Tabitha encourages her, exiting her office with one last thing to say. "Just think about it." The female administrator is left in silence, now alone with only her thoughts.

"Am… I really in love… with Leader Maxie?" Courtney asks herself. She began looking back into her recent memories for evidence of her own. She remembers how distraught she felt when she first heard of Maxie's plans being foiled. She remembers the anger and rage she felt towards the trainers who stopped him. She remembers the worry she felt for her leader when she learned the former grunt, Zinnia if she recalls, went after him. "I guess… I am."

* * *

Later that night, Courtney leaves her office with her report in her arms. Locking the door behind her, the female administrator starts to make her way back to the entrance of Team Magma's hideout. On her way however, she sees light coming out from Maxie's office.

Curious, she walks towards the office. Looking through the window, Courtney sees the Team Magma leader working on some paperwork as well as updating information on his laptop. Gazing at her leader, the female administrator notices that Maxie is drinking a cup of coffee to keep himself energized.

Courtney realizes that he's going through the same habits she was earlier today, overexerting himself to finish his work. She remembers her talk with Tabitha. She remembers coming back to Team Magma's hideout after the incident at the space center, apologizing for her actions and begging for forgiveness.

" _I'm sorry! Leader Maxie, I'm sorry!" Courtney tearfully apologized, staring at her leader who has his back facing her. "I won't do it... anymore! I'll never do anything... like that... again! So please... Forgive... Forgive me." The female administrator began let out the emotions that she couldn't bottle up anymore. Streams of tears flowing from her eyes as she began to cry._

 _Surprised, Maxie turned around to see a sight he wouldn't expect to see: his most stoic member crying. A pang of guilt struck him as he looked at the now emotional administrator. Even Tabitha was surprised at the sight that he saw. Courtney quickly turns around, not wanting to see her leader see her at a moment of weakness._

" _What are you-?!" Maxie tried to ask before he was interrupted by Courtney's continued sniveling. He could tell that the female administrator was trying to regain her composure but was failing. After giving his subordinate a few moments, the Team Magma leader resumes talking. "... Fine. I understand. Courtney. I, the great Maxie, will forgive you. But only on one condition!"_

" _Huh?" Courtney asked, surprised that Maxie was willing to forgive her but also at what the condition was as well. Even Tabitha was surprised too._

" _You must... Also forgive me..." Maxie told her, his face stricken with guilt. "Courtney. I never imagined... I never could have imagined... How very loyal you were to me. Nor did I imagine even one iota of the shock you must have experienced, due to my recent speech and conduct, or how I could have pained you. The one who drove you to such an extreme act was me. I am truly sorry for that."_

 _Courtney couldn't believe it. Maxie was blaming himself for her actions! The female administrator wanted to tell him that he didn't have to blame him, that it wasn't his fault. She wanted to tell him that she needed to take responsibility for what she did. Yet, for some reason, she couldn't say anything. All she can do is continue listening to her leader._

" _You see, Courtney, I would like to start on a new path," Maxie stated. "There are truths that I have learned because of the mistakes I have made. They pitted me against others who are not like me and against ideas that differ from mine. They tell me the importance of understanding these others, even though we may continue to cause pain to another. And that holds true whether the opponent I face is human, Pokémon, or even the might of nature itself."_

" _I will take this step forward, free from hesitation, and meet my foe. And together we will find a way to create, not destroy, or so I hope," Maxie declared. "That is the vision that I, Maxie, have for Team Magma's future. Will you come with me on this journey as well? Courtney."_

 _Courtney couldn't believe what she was hearing. Maxie is once again asking her to join him by his side, something she thought wouldn't happen. Once again, the female administrator lost her composure. But no longer was she crying out of sadness. She was crying out of happiness now._

" _Wahh... Uwahh... Waahhh! Waahhh... Of course I will!" Courtney cried, nodding her head in confirmation. The Team Magma leader gave a slight chuckle and smiled at her._

" _My... You certainly cry a lot," Maxie teased. Courtney instantly blushed in response while Tabitha celebrated and congratulated himself._

The memory ends with Courtney finding herself blushing once again. She realizes that Tabitha was right. Back then Maxie did indeed care about her, and he still does to this day. Taking in a deep breath, the female administrator knocks on her leader's office door.

"Proceed!" Maxie calls out. Mentally preparing herself, Courtney opens the door and walks inside. "Ah Courtney, surprised to see you here this late."

"Leader Maxie, I have the report you wanted," the female administrator told him.

"Why thank you, Courtney," the Team Magma leader replies as he is being given the report. He looks through the pages as he reads along. "An egg? Interesting."

"Yes. I deduced that it's going to hatch into a Vulpix," Courtney informs him.

"Wonderful. Thank you for completing your assignment, Courtney. You may go enjoy your evening," Maxie states before resuming to his work. The female administrator didn't leave though, as she continues to stand in front of his desk. She is trying to think of words to say next. The Team Magma leader notices this and pauses his work. "Is something the matter?"

"A-Actually… Leader Maxie. I am wondering if… you're interested to… engage with me to a meal," Courtney manages to say. Surprised, Maxie raises an eyebrow before growing a small smile.

"My, my, Courtney. Are you asking me out on a date?" Maxie teases. Courtney instantly blushes and starts waving her hands.

"N-N-No… I mean… I-I-I…" the female administrator stutters before regaining some composure. "You've done so much for us… Leader Maxie. Everything you've done… everything you accomplished… you worked so hard for. You deserve a break." The Team Magma leader looks at his subordinate, taking everything she said to heart, and smiles. He couldn't ask for a more loyal and supportive individual by his side than Courtney.

"I see. I accept your offer. Anything you want to do, I'll gladly abide to it," Maxie told her. Turning off his laptop and placing his paperwork inside his desk, the Team Magma leader leaves his with his administrator at his side. As they exist the hideout, he hooks his right arm with her left's. Courtney's eyes widens and a flutter of joy begins to swell up inside her. A light blush appears on her face, and she smiles in response.

At first, it was only loyalty. That was the only thing she had when she first joined Team Magma. Time passed as she climbed up the ranks, and her loyalty grew into great admiration. It was only a matter of time until Courtney's great admiration finally evolved into love. Love for her Leader Maxie.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Did you enjoy it? Please leave your thoughts in a review. If you want more, then I'll gladly write more.**


End file.
